The Portland daily press., 1887-11-19
LONDON BANK TELLERS.
Tho Quickest Manipulators Of Coin
In the World.
New York Tribune.l

A London bank teller always experiences
feeling Of relief when he finds his money
correct at the close of Fridays work, and
this feeling is usually shared by the rest Of
the staff, who cannot leave the bank until he
either discovers his error or satisfies him
self as to the actual shortage. The great
bulk of the shortages made across bank
counters in England are believed to occur
on that day. Whether or not there is any
truth in the superstition concerning Friday
being an unlucky day for the teller, or
whether the errors are caused by the care
lessness which is always more or less the re-
suit Of slack day. is an open question. The
belief is simply recorded as an acknowledged
and experienced fact
Next in the order of bad days for the
teller, or cashier, as he is designated in Lon
don, comes Saturday, but there the bad luck
is Ineligible. Saturday IS wages day, and
no sooner has the teller filled his till and
loaded up his shelves with silver in 5-pound
and 10 pound bags than the days work sets
in like flood. Until twelve O'Clock he Is
paving away with both hands; after that
hour, If he is receiving clerk as well, he
begins to receive heavily, for Saturday is
also the last day Of the week, and everyone
elects that the bank should receive mis- de-
posits rather than that he should keep them
in his own less secure custody over Sunday.
In beginning work on Saturday the London
teller faces an open mahogany counter, OF
which the portion controlled by his desk Is
probably six feet long by three wide. He
likes to have good square view Of his Gus
toner, and it is one of the canons Of British
banking that the eyes OF the staff shall COM
mand the counter. There is this to be said
in defence of the system. 1t requires consid-
erably more hardihoOd to perpetrate swim
die in the open view of an English bank than
it does at pigeon hole in fenced In counter
and in addition, well-trained bank staff ac-
customed to each others ways by long con-
tact, and familiar as well with the customers
Of the establishment, and often able to rem
der valuable aid to the teller, and the bank
for that matter. in variety OF ways.
With such an open counter the chief clerk
is also able to keep the whole field under his
eve at one time, and to relieve the over
strain Of any particular desk. The effect OF
the exposed condition is beneficial to on the
staff, the members of which preserve
steadier demeanor and attend more closely
to business while thus under the eye OF the
public. But such an exposed situation de-
mands steady nerve on the part OF the tel
Ter, who will sometimes have as many as
score of customers waiting at one time He
need however, only observe the golden rule
In order to ensure correctness: mo hurry,
and finish one transaction before you begin
another" His great temptation viii be TO
endeavor to get rid Of the press Of people by
out entering them in his money book at the
moment, leaving that for the first lull in the
days business. In doing this he Is depriv--
ing himself Of almost the only safeguard
against loss The London teller Is pr0ba-
bly, the quickest manipulation Of coin in the
world. This is largely owing to the fact
that the smallest note issued in London Is
of value Of f5 or S25. When asked Tor
gold in greater amount than his eye can
count at glance, the teller, after counting
it quickly with pinafore action, throws II
with his copper scoop into his faithful
scales and so checks his count. The weights
Of these scales are arranged In suitable num-
bers. The teller also checks the gold which
he receives by weight and here his knowl-
edge of the business is tested. One hum
| bred new sovereigns are Of full weight,
rather more, in fact, but the same in num-
Der taken at haphazard, will be found to be
nearly half a sovereign Tor per cent? short
| in weight, while e100 in ordinary half SOW
origins are sometimes twenty shillings Tor
| per cent? short in value. The teller can
| quickly satisfy himself as to whether the
weight OF the count by dividing the amount
| and weighing the one moiety against the
| other. II they balance evenly the count Is
| correct and the difference Is due TO under
| weight. IL the latter exceeds the average
| stated the coin will need to be especially ex-
\ amined; there is probably something wrong.
| This question Of light gold is an important
| one. One large London Joint stock bank
| paid to the Bank OF England toO,UUO kSloO,VOV
| for deficient weight in its gold for one year.
| A practical teller knows heavy or full weight
| gold at sight. The best test afforded by In
| spection Is found in the strings Of the Irish
| harp on the reverse Of the coin. III they are
| frayed the coin is under weight, but II un-
| toched by wear and tear it is full weight.
| The edge of the English bank counter Is
provided with lip TO prevent the coin
from rolling over and to aid the teller in
scoopipg sp the money. The teller usually
| counts with the first two fingers of both
hands, simultaneously sometimes he uses
six fin gers, and teller has been known to
| courG 450 soverigns in one minute working
against time. An expert teller will count
one hundred pounds value Of silver In seven
| minutes When it is remembered that the
coins are always mixed and consist Of six
pences, shillings forms, and half-erowns
with never a decimal convenience among
them, this will reasonably be considered as
a remarkable feat. There is no selection of
coins possible in such count. Were that
observed the count would take fully thirty
minutes The four fingers Of the teller seize
all the coins as they come, and il their ac-
ton is bewilderingly quick what must be
that Of the eye and brain which can So